The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1887-08-19
Ladies' Department.
Importance of Being Straight.

read the following remarks by Med
leo in an exchange:
There is every reason for main
tanning an erect position in standing
or walking, and of being straight
even in a sitting position. but no
reason can be brought forward why
anyone should be crooked, except
that of natural or accidental deform-
ity. 1t should be matter of person.
al pride with every one to be straight
because of being straight, one accepts
that great privilege which God has
given to humanity only, namely the
power to stand erect, man being fur
nished with spine which properly
treated, serves as column to support
the body in an upright position, all
the bones, joints and muscles being
arranged tie make it posi- ole to main
tain this erect posture without fa:ig-
ne.
A second reason why every one
boy, girl, man or woman-should try
by force of tho will, to be straight, is
that grace of figure and movement, is
impossible with crooked STOPPING
body, which not only gives an appea'
ance of ungainliness and AWKWARD
ness, but of positive stupidity and
slowness of temperament, if not of ex-
IRENE dullness and lazincss amount
ing to sloth. 1t is quite possible, in
deed it frequently happens, that where
there is natural deformity Of the
spine the intellect is exception
ally bright and quick, but it is very
difficult, as a general thing, to asso-
ciate keen intelligence with deform-
ity brought on by carelessness and
sloth.
A third and most important rea-
son why people should endeayor to
be straight is for the health's sake,
because the body bent forward 10y
the shoulders and mid-spine causes
compression of the vital organs, the
true place of bending the body being
the hips. Many persons do not know
this, and consequently err ignorant
~; instead of keeping the head erect
and the shoulders we'll back, and
bending forward, when necessary
from the hips, they round their
shoulders, crook their spines and
crane their heads and necks in a
most ungainly manner, continuing
this until the position becomes nat
ural
With the majority of cases these
deformities commence in early youth
the child acquiring the habit ofloung:
ing at the desk or table with the head
down the shoulders rounded, and the
spine curved outward, and as con-
sequence the stomach and abdomen
drawn in and compressed. The hab-
it INDUCED in through chills grow
ing years, causes ill health and the
deformity mentioned.
II a child is weak naturally, it will
lounge to relieve sensations of wear
mess. bending forward. as described
This persisted in causes an over
stretching of the muscles intend
ed to keep him straight, and conse-
quently, relaxation which after a
while makes it fatiguing to stand
straight at all. Where this is the
case the child must be helped artifi-
cially by proper shoulder brace
otherwise it will have no chance to
become healthy and strong. the should
. er brace causing the child to lean
back for rest instead of STOPPING for
ward, and so giving the vital organs
chance for proper play and action
A great mistake is made by many
mothers, namely the putting corsets
on children and very young girls tc
strengthen them and make them grow
straight This does as much mis-
chief as longing. If not more, be-
cause constant pressure is made or
the stomach, and it must either en-
dure this or suffer displacement VI
or down, encroaching either on the
lungs or the organs below. Another
effect of corsets is to weaken the
muscles of the chest and back b,
causing their relaxation from disuse
the bones and steels of the corse
taking their place, and hence making
straight position without corset
wearsome. How often one hears
some girl or woman exclaim, "Oh,
could not sit up without my corset s!'
But the corsets do not by any mean
insure straight back and graceful
carriage for girls or women who hav
no strong determination to carr,
themselves erect; no, they only pro
duce another and very unpleasant
deformity, their wearers, when wear,
or lazy, letting the trunk ofthe bod,
sag down, as it we're, and the abdC
men project in the most ungracefu
manner, reversing natures outlines
For this reason it is advisable not t
rely on corsets, but to persevere i
all efforts to keep straight, exercisin
the will vigorously to this end. I
conclude each person must think, 70
"didn't think" has done NOR
4l,:n 49,